The disclosure comes just weeks before a hotly contested congressional election in the US and as the UK continues to debate Brexit, which has fuelled talk of challenges to Prime Minister Theresa May.

It follows action the firm took in August, in which it said it had removed hundreds of pages and groups, linked to both Iran and Russia, that had engaged in what the firm described as “misleading” activity.

Facebook has faced criticism for failing to be alert to the opportunities to use the platform for propaganda in previous elections.

Related Articles

Image copyright Reuters The government spent almost £100,000 on Facebook adverts promoting Theresa May’s Brexit deal before calling off a Commons vote on it, figures released by the US social media giant reveal. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn branded it a “waste of public money” in the House of Commons on Tuesday. The overall spend on […]

Image copyright Getty ImagesImage caption Indian yoga guru Baba Ramdev runs a vast business empire A chat app introduced by an Indian yoga guru and dubbed a “WhatsApp killer”, has been removed from app stores amid a furore over security flaws. Baba Ramdev’s Patanjali Products launched Kimbho on Thursday, calling it a “homegrown” rival to […]

Image copyright FordImage caption The EksoVests are designed to assist workers lifting or interacting with objects overhead Carmaker Ford is in the process of giving mechanical “exosuits” to 75 workers at 15 of its factories globally, following successful trials of the technology. The devices, called EksoVests, wrap around the upper body and assist when lifting […]